WE BUILD THE WALL - With the cease and desist lifted, privately funded border wall will be completed soon

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We Build the Wall founder talks about donations
Brian Kolfage, We Build The Wall founder, speaks at a press conference Thursday, May 30, in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
A non-profit group touted the progress on a privately funded border wall Thursday, two days after the Sunland Park mayor said the barrier was being built illegally. 
The We Build The Wall group held a press conference Thursday to officially unveil the “first ever privately built border wall on US-Mexico border."
On Tuesday, Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea claimed that the wall was built illegally after the property owners did obtain the necessary permits to erect the fencing.
Sunland Park city officials sent the property owners and the group a cease and desist letter to halt the construction. Construction stopped Tuesday, but quickly began again Thursday after the group got the go-ahead from the city.
“We actually applied for permits last week and we were told we were set and ready to go,” We Build the Wall general counsel Kris Kobach said. “We asked the city inspector on Friday if we could begin to work and told by the city inspector that we could begin the work. But then on Tuesday, the city looked at one of the applications and thought they needed more information for that application., We were happy to provide and we did provide additional information, a more detailed a site plan, etc.”
He added, “A statement from someone (on Tuesday from city officials) when the stop work order was issued that they thought the project was not in compliance with the city's ordinances, that statement was incorrect. The city now agrees with us that there is no violation of any ordinance.”
Perea, however, maintains that American Eagle Brick Company, who owns the property where the wall is being constructed, was out of compliance by not having building permits at the time of construction.
“If they had done their due diligence ahead of time it would have given the staff enough time to address the concerns in an appropriate manner,” Perea said. “We will continue to ensure that they are meeting all city ordinances for the time being.”
He added the company may still be fined for initial non-compliance.
The stop work order was lifted by Sunland Park city officials at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Kobach said. He added after the work order was lifted, the group didn't have any of the machinery on site, so construction resumed Thursday morning.
“There was roughly a 36-hour delay in our work," Kobach said. "The day before yesterday, we received the stop work order from the city and then we got things going at about 6 a.m. this morning (Thursday).”
Brian Kolfage, Founder of We Build the Wall, speaks at a press conference Thursday at the site of the civilian-built wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Construction of the citizen-funded bollard fence continued Thursday after Sunland Park, New Mexico lifted their cease and desist order.
Brian Kolfage, Founder of We Build the Wall, speaks at a press conference Thursday at the site of the civilian-built wall in Sunland Park, NM
The wall, which is about a half-mile long, is now expected to be completed within the next two days, Kobach said.
The barrier is being built near the Monument One — an official marker at the spot where New Mexico, Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua converge — at Border Highway West, near Executive Center Boulevard.


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